1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to image processing apparatus and method for detecting a change in inputted image data and performing predetermined image processes to the image data in accordance with a detection result and also relates to a storing medium in which a program for image processing has been stored.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, various methods have been proposed with respect to a method of detecting a change in a video image. As a relatively simple method among them, a method of detecting an image change region by obtaining a difference between two images has been proposed (Sakuma, Itoh, and Masuda, "Invasion object detecting method using inter-frame difference", Technical Report of The Institute of Television Engineers of Japan, Vol. 14, No. 49, pp. 1-6, 1990). Since a video image has a very large data amount, it takes a long time to process it. According to such a simple method as mentioned above, even in a general computer, a change in video image can be detected at an enough high processing speed.
As an apparatus using the foregoing method of detecting the video image change, various apparatuses such that the presence or absence of a change in video image is detected and only the video image whose change was detected is outputted to a communication path (for example, WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), etc.) and transmitted, or is outputted and stored into an image storing device, or is outputted to an image display device and is displayed have been proposed as shown in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 7-128378 and 8-24337 which have already been proposed by the same applicant as the present invention.
Hitherto, however, a method whereby even while a change in video image is not detected, the video image which is being photographed is merely outputted as it is in a manner similar to the case where the change in the video image is detected or a method whereby only an image (field image or frame image) at a moment when the change in the video image is detected is outputted and the video image which is still being photographed is not outputted until a next change is detected is used.
That is, when the video data is used, in spite of a fact that there are many cases where a condition that the video image is required to have a high picture quality, in the above conventional examples, a measure to accomplish a high picture quality of a video image which is outputted is never taken.